The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, met with Kosovo's Prime Minister Thaci Pristina on Thursday, to discuss the country's progress towards EU membership. Speaking after the event Hague said: "As I have discussed with Prime Minister Thaci, a new chapter in EU/Kosovo relations is opening. This is enormously positive for Kosovo. But Kosovo will now need to make progress against the same conditions and be treated the same as any other country in the Western Balkans. Progress towards EU membership will benefit all of Kosovo’s citizens. But it will require hard work and fundamental reforms in areas such as the economy, rule of law, the fight against corruption, electoral reform and public administration. I am pleased to have discussed some of the plans for these reforms during my meetings and welcome Kosovo’s commitment to the reform process.
The appointment of a civilian judge to investigate the responsibility of three prominent former Egyptian generals for the abuse of protesters is an opportunity for President Morsi to push for accountability for abuses committed under military rule, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. According to HRW, military courts which have sole jurisdiction over any acts committed by military personnel have failed time and again to properly investigate military abuses against protesters. Only two cases were referred for trial, in which prosecutors did not examine senior responsibility in giving...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has opened a memorial in Berlin, dedicated to Roma Holocaust victims, earlier this week. Speaking at the opening of the genocide memorial, a pool of water with a plinth in the middle located near the German Parliament, Merkel said , "Every single fate in this genocide is a suffering beyond understanding. Every single fate fills me with sorrow and shame," "It is not only the responsibility of educational institutions, as important as they are, but it's our responsibility, it's the responsibility of each and every one of us, because in indifference, in a culture...
A Russian military official has claimed that weapons from the US have ended up in the hands of Syrian rebels. Gen Nikolai Makarov said to the Interfax news agency that the origin of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, including US-made Stingers, should be “cleared up”. "We have reliable information that Syrian militants have foreign portable anti-aircraft missile systems, including those made in the USA... it should be cleared up who delivered them," Gen Makarov told reporters. Russia is the largest supplier of arms to the Syrian regime. In other developments, UN special envoy Lakhdar...
The African Union lifted the suspension against Mali on Wednesday, following a decision for intervention, in order to regain ground from Islamist militants. Pledging that proposals for the intervention would be ready by within weeks, the AU outlined a political road map for the country, which saw elections being held as early as April next year. The chair of the AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said: "We are working ... to finalise the joint planning for the early deployment of an African-led international military force to help Mali recover the occupied territories in the North." "At...
The Congolese government described Rwanda’s seat at the UN Security Council as an act that condoned the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo provinces. The Congolese government spokesperson Lambert Mende, said on Tuesday, “The decision is a very bad signal because it trivialises the horrific situation created by this country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it continues to disrupt peace and security.” Rwanda was elected into the 15-member Security Council, as a non permanent member, last week, despite a recent UN report that accused Rwanda of supporting the human...
Libya's new authorities announced the capture of Bani Walid, the former stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi, on Wednesday. The authorities state that all military operations have now ceased, and the troops will now be providing security and aid. The announcement came after fighting that has forced hundreds of to flee into neigbouring towns. However, according to the BBC , some of its correspondents have said that 'pockets of resistance' continue.
Russia has condemned the US for its human rights record and accused it of double standards. At a presentation by the foreign ministry’s human rights envoy, the ministry criticised the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay and the use of the death penalty by the US. The presentation also claimed that the US only took up human rights issues in order to interfere in the affairs of sovereign states. "The U.S. claim on the role of absolute leader in the sphere of human rights is unsustainable and is not confirmed by practical realities," Itar-Tass quoted the envoy, Konstantin Dolgov, as saying to...
The head of UN peacekeeping has stated that they are preparing for the event of a ceasefire in Syria, after the UN and Arab League’s international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s visit to the country. The head of UN peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, stated that, "I would confirm that, of course, we are giving a lot of thought to what would happen if and when a political solution or at least a ceasefire would emerge” "There are a number of hypotheses, but I think at this stage one can only say that it certainly would be premature to mention a figure because it would depend on the situation (and) on...
The emir of Qatar became the first head of state to visit the Gaza strip on Tuesday, which has been under blockade and largely shunned since Hamas came to power in 2007. After a grand reception and welcome of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and his wife, the Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, made his address, stating : "You are today, by this visit, declaring the breaking of the unjust blockade," "Today we declare victory against the blockade through this historic visit," he said. "We say thank you, Emir, thank you Qatar for this noble Arab stance ... Hail to the blood of martyrs which...